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Need help. Thanks for your assistance.

by anujladha » Wed Jun 03, 2009 7:48 pm
Hello there,

I took the actual exam Tuesday morning and scored a 520 (Math 33, Verbal 28). I feel very disappointed and somewhat disheartened, especially, after spending so much time and effort with practice exams, exercises (11th edition Official Guide and Kaplan course book), and getting three 600's on the practice tests. Did 11 practice exams total (all 8 from my Kaplan Course, Ultimate Practice Test, and two from MBA.com). However, this is an improvement from the last time I took the actual exam (Nov 2008, a 440).

I am not going to give up until I achieve a 670 and that's just the way it is. This is why I started planning all this preparation time almost a year before applications are due. I gave the exam my very best, I certainly could have done better on Math and I thought I was doing well on Verbal. I think a lot of this is getting accustomed to the look and questions of the actual exam.

I plan to re-take the exam no later than early August, if not early-mid July. I think Kaplan practice tests are not accurate representations of the actual exam!! All that hard work described above has not helped.

Thanks for your assistance in helping me to score higher. Any sources for practice tests?

Anuj
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by Neo2000 » Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:20 pm
In order of preference,

GMATPRep (which i believe you got from mba.com)
PowerPrep (the older version of GMATPrep)
MGMAT ( 6 tests for $39 or free with any book. Suggest you buy the SCG book)

Finally, track your performance. Why are you scoring so low? What are your weak areas?

If you are in India, try getting your hand on the CAT material of any coaching institute, preferably the sectional tests. Great for building speed, accuracy and strengthening basics.
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by anujladha » Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:51 pm
Hello,

Thanks for your advice, but thought I can give you further information on past progress so you understand how I have been performing prior to my taking the exam a couple days ago. Here it is:

Diagonostic Paper & Pencil with Kaplan = 480 (start of course)
CAT 1 550
CAT 2 520
CAT 3 550 (Verbal percentile 48)
CAT 4 540 (Verbal percentile 48)
CAT 5 620 (Verbal percentile 48)
CAT 6 560 (Verbal percentile 48)
Ultimate Practice Test 620 (taken on 5/8) = 70% quant and 43% verbal
CAT 7 540
CAT 8 630

GMAT Prep1 CAT 360
GMAT Prep2 CAT 540

Yes, I was looking at Manhattan GMAT's website and saw the link to buy 6 practice exams at a cost of $39. I think I am going to do this until my next re-take together with studying from the Official Guide book (11th and/or 12th editions).

What's your feedback on using both materials: Manhattan GMAT for 6 practice exams and the Official Guide for study exercises. Then, come closer to the next re-take date, take GMAT Preps 1 and 2 (MBA.com)

Thanks
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by anujladha » Wed Jun 03, 2009 8:56 pm
Sorry, forgot to ask one further thing:

SCG Book? What book and edition are you talking about to suggest buying? Please clarify.

Thanks.
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by Neo2000 » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:00 pm
Looks like your splits are bad and verbal is really low. Again, rather than buying the tests, buy the SCG book and get the tests free. Did i mention the book is cheaper than the tests?

Verbal is a big concern for you. What is your accuracy rate for the OG?? Have you considered other sources for practice?? If you need more practice, you should consider the additional guides.

the book i am talking about is the ManhattanGMAT (aka MGMAT) Sentence Correction Guide or SCG for short. its the bible for sentence correction and will really help you along. They also have books for other areas of the GMAT, though i only studied the SCG.
The prevailing opinion is that PowerScore's CR guide is currently the best.

i'm @ WPI :) How long ago did you leave college? People who are a quite a bit out tend to get lower GMAT scores which is fine since the work-ex covers for it.
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by anujladha » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:06 pm
I don't think necessarily being out of school for a number of years is a negative factor. It's all about the heart, positive thinking, commitment and dedication that matter. I can't let this setback of a 520 get me down.

I graduated from Clark University in May 2006 and have been working in Boston since.

Anuj
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by anujladha » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:07 pm
Sorry, I forgot to add that when I got a 630 on CAT 8, that was my strongest score to date with the following breakdown:

Verbal scaled score 44 (97th percentile!)

Math scaled score 36 (46th percentile)

This was unexpected volatility.
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by Neo2000 » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:18 pm
Its not a negative factor. Just that the longer you are out of school, the tougher it is to get back to prepping for a standardised test. Scores are invariably lower and for the most part, it rarely matters.

It looks like you will really have to work on your Math and VA basics.
https://www.beatthegmat.com/books.html
The above page has a good write-up of various books. I would certainly recommend starting with the Princeton Review and working your way up. I'm not sure if teh Boston group is still active, but you could always ping the thread and see who responds. Studying with a group will be immensely helpful.
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by anujladha » Wed Jun 03, 2009 9:30 pm
When you recommend to "buy the Manhattan GMAT book", do you suggest buying the one that only includes sentence correction or a comprehensive book? See the following:

https://www.manhattangmat.com/storeitems ... 28&catid=6

Sorry, but I just want to make sure to know the appropriate one to buy. Just buying sentence correction alone will not be enough for me. I am ready to buy the book, start working on it next week. Taking a break this week because I feel stuffed/burned out/stressed after my exam Tuesday. Princeton review is not going to help me. I took a course with them last year prior to receiving a 440 on the GMAT in November 2008. I do not trust Princeton Review at all, problems are easier than the actual exam and plus I have already taken the actual exam a number of times now combined with several practice tests. This is enough experience to not go with Princeton Review as an option for practicing.

It is somewhat unfortunate that none of my efforts have paid off. I have spent so much time, effort, and a fair amount of investment preparing. But I am not going to give up. I have to at least encourage myself that I improved from a 440 to a 520! Not great, but so be it.
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by 4score20 » Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:14 pm
Kaplan is great for students aiming for 500-650. However, students trying to score higher should use a different source of prep. You might consider trying the Manhattan GMAT books.
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by anujladha » Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:03 pm
Does anyone else have suggestions? Otherwise, I am going with Manhanttan GMAT's 8 strategy guides. I plan on going through the content rigorously for the month of June and then try MGMAT Practice test in early July to see how I do. If I do much better (e.g. in the early to mid 600's and continue to score consistently, I will then try one of the MBA.com practice tests).

I plan to do my next retake in August.
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